Learning in Nature
The Southern Nevada Agency Partnership and Get Outdoors Nevada offers Clark County educators ways to connect youth with the outdoors. To explore education opportunities scroll down, or select a link below.
Clark County is surrounded by public lands that provide opportunities for outdoor connections to curriculum in the classroom.
- Get youth outside on a field trip with a naturalist or connected to their environment with a classroom presentation about Southern Nevada Public Land.
- Outdoor classrooms are ideal settings to investigate patterns, explore questions, and improve learning.
- Help youth strengthen science proficiency and their understanding of Mojave Desert natural resources!
Public Lands Educator Trainings
Recreation Area
Recreation Area
Educator Guides
We’re proud to present the “Our Public Lands” Field Trip Guidebook Series, a set of four detailed guides that were developed by a multidisciplinary team of professionals from five federal land management agencies, local nonprofits, and educators. In these guides you can learn more about the incredible learning opportunities available to your students throughout Southern Nevada’s diverse natural landscapes. We hope that these resources inspire you to expand learning into the outdoors and make your classroom a gateway through which students experience the potential of public lands for the very first time.
Click to Download Each Guidebook in the series:
- Biodiversity - An Educator’s Field Trip Guide for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
- Geology: Erosion, Weathering and Deposition - An Educator’s Field Trip Guide for Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- SMNRA : Our Places Tell Stories An Educator’s Field Trip Guide for the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area- Coming Soon
- Corn Creek: A Home For Wildlife. An Educator’s Field Trip Guide for the Desert National Wildlife Refuge - Coming Soon
Transportation Microgrants
Expand your classroom into the outdoors– Let us help!
Get Outdoors Nevada and the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership have collaborated to facilitate over 250 field trips for classrooms and educational groups across Clark County, connecting educators and students with the resources needed to explore Nevada’s incredible public lands. We are working together to provide hands-on learning experiences in nature that foster curiosity, environmental stewardship, and a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors.
We’re currently offering a limited number of microgrants designed to cover the cost of transportation needed to make your field trip possible. If you’re interested in bringing your students outdoors, please contact microgrant@getoutdoorsnevada.org to learn more about how we can connect your classroom to the outdoors.
Conservation Area
Recreation Area
Recreation Area - Coming Soon
Wildlife Refuge - Coming Soon
Educator Training Events
To complement the Our Public Lands Field Trip Guidebook Series, In 2022-2024, GON worked in collaboration with the Engaging Communities project staff and SNAP agency partners to produce the Our Public Lands Teacher Workshop Series; a professional development series designed to empower educators with the knowledge and resources to lead students through outdoor learning experiences that explore the Mojave Desert and public lands in Southern Nevada. These workshops were designed to showcase Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Desert National Wildlife Refuge: Corn Creek, Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area through on-site experiences conducted at each location in collaboration with agency support. Each workshop was crafted to enhance teachers’ capacity to engage students in field-based environmental education, with a specific place-based focus on the specific history and features of each site. Through hands-on activities, guided discussions, and sessions led by experts in the field, educators gained valuable insights into the unique ecosystems and rich biodiversity of the Mojave Desert along with the rich natural and cultural resources located on Nevada’s public lands, while exploring innovative ways to bring this learning back to their students. Get Outdoors Nevada worked with each agency to transition delivery of future teacher trainings to site staff to continue capacity building for educators in Southern Nevada.
An archaeologist shows youth how to grind Honey Mesquite Pods into a flour while learning about cultural history on a field trip to Desert National Wildlife Refuge!
Classroom Educational Presentations
Our instructors brought the Mojave Desert to life in classrooms all across Clark County. Our dynamic, hands-on presentations dove into environmental topics including:
- public lands of Southern Nevada
- plants and animals of the Mojave Desert
- and the importance of conservation and stewardship
Presentations were based on curriculum supporting Next Generation Science Standards or Nevada Academic Content Standards.
Through the “Engaging Communities through Stewardship” project, funded via Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA) Round 17, Get Outdoors Nevada worked with Southern Nevada Area Partners to connect over 21,500 student and educator participants with our natural landscapes over the course of 800 classroom-based program sessions and field trips - serving a majority of participants from Title I schools. Visit Get Outdoors Nevada’s Education Hub to learn more about bringing these environmental science programs and curricula to your school, classroom or learning group and help us inspire the next generation of Nevada’s environmental stewards!
“I think the entire program was amazing. The field trip was great - my students absolutely loved being out on a trail walk and having the chance to observe nature. Additionally, the classroom sessions were very hands-on: all students were engaged, happy, and learning.”
Every Kid Outdoors Presentations
Do you have fourth graders in your class, scout, community, or homeschool group?
Through our Every Kid Outdoors programming, our staff and partners were able to deliver educational programs about our public lands to 4th graders all across the valley, gifting each 4th grade student an Every Kid Outdoors pass, which enables each student and their family free entry to America’s parks, lands, and waters for one year!
With the Every Kid Outdoors passes, students are able to explore Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, picnic areas at Spring Mountain National Recreation Area, and more with their families! Reservations may be required.
If you have a fourth grader in your home or work with learners of this age, learn more about this free program here.
“Participation in GON's program provided students with an opportunity to witness the processes in their own surroundings and encouraged them to take advantage of Southern Nevada's nature.”
Get Outdoors Nevada
Get to know our partner!
Get Outdoors Nevada was formed in 2000 by a passionate group of outdoor enthusiasts and community leaders who recognized the vital connection between Nevada's natural spaces and quality of life for our entire community. Through environmental education efforts, the Get Outdoors Nevada team is focused on inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards while supporting the needs of our state’s diverse youth, especially those who are at-risk and may face barriers to experiencing the outdoors. Get Outdoors Nevada is committed to engaging both educators and learners in pursuing a collective path toward preserving Nevada’s public lands, urban trails, and community parks.
Past Events
See some photos from our past events!
